1. Real Women Have Curves takes place in the summer of 1987 in a run-down sewing factory warehouse in Los Angeles. Three of the main characters are family members as well as co-workers, with Estela and Ana being daughters of Carmen. Two other friends (and co-workers) included are Pancha and Rosali. All of the characters are women, and there are very few male voices at all. All of these characters are working to meet a production deadline for Estela’s garment shop in order to get paid from their partnering Glitz Company. Estela must also face the issue of paying off the company she rents her machines from, who are threatening to sue her.
2. The intrusion would be the machines breaking down and all of the women being forced to work by hand (and all in cohesion with one another). The machine breakdown further exacerbates the deadline of dress production that they must meet in order to avoid being sued (possibly risking Estela’s deportation). Estela admitting her debt brings these issues to the public knowledge of her family and friends. This situation is what puts all of the characters in contact with each other and leads to the discussion of larger issues at hand – Ana’s opinion of what her future should be like, Carmen and Pancha’s experiences with their husbands, Rosali’s body dysmorphia, and eventually Estela’s experience with being unfairly sexualized on her date. These conversations eventually lead to the women comparing not only their experiences, but their physical bodies as well, and that they all share a common experience with one another.
Another possible intrusion could be the consistent fear of “la migra” because of Estela does not have her papers. This factor forces the doors to remain closed, and prompts most of the important discussions (and eventual undressing) that makes up one of the most theatrical and heartwarming moments in Real Women Have Curves.
3. The unique factor that keeps Real Women Have Curves in focus is the deadline that all of the women must meet in order to keep Estela from being sued (and to get their own paychecks). This is the dramatic force behind the increasing action and is the point that must be met in order for the play to end. This also pushes all of the women to work overnight and altogether over the few days in which the play unfolds. Without the threat of a deadline, the women would not be so focused on working at such an intense level or for so many hours at a time, and these events would not have occurred. This is the day that they must complete the orders, and Ana is the one telling the story through her writing/ diary.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Does Estela ever get her green card? Does this really matter in the end (based on her business being successful)? Does Rosali change the way she views herself? Is Ana able to be successful as a writer? Is Carmen proud of both of her children?
5. At the beginning, Ana wants to move to New York and attend college as a writer. However, she cannot afford to do so for another year. She feels conflicted about somehow “moving backwards” into a typical undocumented worker job, even though she is “legal” and was able to complete high school. This represents a “me against society” obstacle in that she isn’t allowed to get financial aid until so many years after her high school graduation and until certain paperwork is completed. Ana also has some obstacles in Estela and her mother, Carmen, both of whom are forcing her to work in Estela’s sewing factory (“me against another individual"). They also prevent Ana from going off to college or exploring writing at any other time than in the bathroom. These family obligations hold Ana back. Carmen and Pancha also both doubt Ana's ability to be successful ("me against another individual")
However, throughout the play, Ana does confront this in a way that is “me against myself” obstacles. Ana is trying to find her identity as a Chicano woman. She is trying to balance between moving away from the social stereotype associated with her background, but also still actively participate in her culture and family traditions. Ana talks about wanting to participate in the sexual liberation movement, and feminism, and also tries to involve her female family and friends in what she thinks are better ideals that won’t limit them as much. Trying to find her perspective, Ana finds herself fighting against society for who she wants to be. Ana’s constant “inner monologue” through her writing reveals this internal struggle throughout the play, and eventually she realizes that she did not appreciate her family when she was young, but does appreciate the common experience and love that they all share. This idea of common sacrifice is especially evident when all of the women give back their checks to support Estela's choice to break away from Glitz.
6. One of the most repetitive theatrical moments is with Carmen’s constant mistaking of other men for “la migra” and Estela’s constant hiding. The overreaction of the other women, who now have papers but “forget” and are still afraid, is funny but also highlights Estela’s own real fear of having her business taken away or possibly even deported.
Carmen’s possible pregnancy is another moment I found to be theatrical and extremely emotional. This is the first time that she has ever lamented her marriage and her position as a mother in front of her own children, with Ana even going so far as to suggest an abortion if her mother truly doesn’t want to have this child. Though it ends up being a false pregnancy, I think that it really changes Carmen’s relationship with her own children. They aren’t really speaking to her like a parent, but they are speaking to her as another adult woman having to struggle with a (possibly) unwanted pregnancy.
Rosali’s fainting and the reveal of her eating disorder are extremely important theatrical turning points because they bring up the common feeling of inadequacy and beauty standards that all of the women deal with. All of the women, after getting so hot and stuffy that they take off their clothes, give a personal (and theatrical) moment by comparing bodies and pointing out all of their insecurities.
7. One repetitive image or idea that Lopez uses consistently is Spanish language itself and the specific use of bilingualism. Most of the Spanish language included in the book spoken by all of the characters except for Ana. This is a manifestation of Ana wanting to break away from just being another “immigrant” and being in what she sees as a limited life that her family is stuck in. She wants to be a writer, to move away, and to take part in American ideologies of feminism and sexual freedom, but she does not realize the value of her culture until the end of the play. This image heightens the generational gap between Ana and the older women around her, including her older sister as well. It also adds an element of realism to the play, and emphasizes the close relationships in the play.
The constant use of dresses in “mannequin size” and in expensive material is a reminder of the theme of body image in Real Woman Have Curves. Rosali is obsessive about the size of the dress, and there is constant reference to no dresses being made to accommodate any of the characters’ sizes. In the end, when Estela decides to break her contract with Glitz, she makes the dramatic decision to make clothes that all of the women can wear, and a few even find this ridiculous. By eventually changing the dresses, they include themselves in social ideas of beauty and recognize that no real person can ever live up to the ridiculous standards set. They recognize their own beauty by making dresses that work for them and are made by them, rather than creating for someone else.
Having the characters undress at the end of the play is also a very personal use of imagery. When the women strip down to their underwear, they are bare in front of each other to compare scars, weight struggles, and parts of themselves that they don’t like. Any preconceptions that they get from other social “titles” (being a mother, being someone’s child, being older and single), don’t really matter because they all have the common female experience on their bodies. It is also extremely personal for an audience to experience, and I think serves to make these characters human. The humanization element is especially important when thinking about Real Women as expressing the story of Chicano immigration in the United States, where the entire vernacular is built around de-humanization and alienation of these people.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
Immigration and illegality (arbitrariness of the system/ its unfair nature)
Female-specific struggles relating to their submissive social status (sexual assault, carrying children they do not want, always bowing to the will of spouses, difficultly to open their own businesses)
Self-image and body image (stretch marks, societal definition of beauty, “fatness”, disorders)
First vs. second-generation immigrant family dynamics (what Ana wants versus what her mother wants for her)
9. Family is the core of Real Women, with most of the core characters being relatives and almost all of the play being centered around actual kin or essentially fictive kin (the “family” formed in the workplace that includes Rosali and Pancha). The use of a work “family” and the inclusion of extended friends redefines family as a malleable group that depends on the individual. A nuclear family isn’t necessarily the norm, though many Americans probably think of it as an ideal. The family in Real Women is a bonded group of women, not necessarily blood relatives. Real Women also makes us of a multi-generational immigrant family, and the complexities within second- and third-generation immigrants in finding their identity between two essentially different cultures and norms. Multicultural families have a unique experience in America, often facing significant discrimination, but Real Women examines the dynamics of a family firmly rooted in their Chicano heritage and exploring their experience in the American “business” world.
1. Real Women Have Curves takes place in the summer of 1987 in a run-down sewing factory warehouse in Los Angeles. Three of the main characters are family members as well as co-workers, with Estela and Ana being daughters of Carmen. Two other friends (and co-workers) included are Pancha and Rosali. All of the characters are women, and there are very few male voices at all. All of these characters are working to meet a production deadline for Estela’s garment shop in order to get paid from their partnering Glitz Company. Estela must also face the issue of paying off the company she rents her machines from, who are threatening to sue her.
2. The intrusion would be the machines breaking down and all of the women being forced to work by hand (and all in cohesion with one another). The machine breakdown further exacerbates the deadline of dress production that they must meet in order to avoid being sued (possibly risking Estela’s deportation). Estela admitting her debt brings these issues to the public knowledge of her family and friends. This situation is what puts all of the characters in contact with each other and leads to the discussion of larger issues at hand – Ana’s opinion of what her future should be like, Carmen and Pancha’s experiences with their husbands, Rosali’s body dysmorphia, and eventually Estela’s experience with being unfairly sexualized on her date. These conversations eventually lead to the women comparing not only their experiences, but their physical bodies as well, and that they all share a common experience with one another.
Another possible intrusion could be the consistent fear of “la migra” because of Estela does not have her papers. This factor forces the doors to remain closed, and prompts most of the important discussions (and eventual undressing) that makes up one of the most theatrical and heartwarming moments in Real Women Have Curves.
3. The unique factor that keeps Real Women Have Curves in focus is the deadline that all of the women must meet in order to keep Estela from being sued (and to get their own paychecks). This is the dramatic force behind the increasing action and is the point that must be met in order for the play to end. This also pushes all of the women to work overnight and altogether over the few days in which the play unfolds. Without the threat of a deadline, the women would not be so focused on working at such an intense level or for so many hours at a time, and these events would not have occurred. This is the day that they must complete the orders, and Ana is the one telling the story through her writing/ diary.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Does Estela ever get her green card? Does this really matter in the end (based on her business being successful)?
Does Rosali change the way she views herself?
Is Ana able to be successful as a writer? Is Carmen proud of both of her children?
5. At the beginning, Ana wants to move to New York and attend college as a writer. However, she cannot afford to do so for another year. She feels conflicted about somehow “moving backwards” into a typical undocumented worker job, even though she is “legal” and was able to complete high school. This represents a “me against society” obstacle in that she isn’t allowed to get financial aid until so many years after her high school graduation and until certain paperwork is completed. Ana also has some obstacles in Estela and her mother, Carmen, both of whom are forcing her to work in Estela’s sewing factory (“me against another individual"). They also prevent Ana from going off to college or exploring writing at any other time than in the bathroom. These family obligations hold Ana back. Carmen and Pancha also both doubt Ana's ability to be successful ("me against another individual")
However, throughout the play, Ana does confront this in a way that is “me against myself” obstacles. Ana is trying to find her identity as a Chicano woman. She is trying to balance between moving away from the social stereotype associated with her background, but also still actively participate in her culture and family traditions. Ana talks about wanting to participate in the sexual liberation movement, and feminism, and also tries to involve her female family and friends in what she thinks are better ideals that won’t limit them as much. Trying to find her perspective, Ana finds herself fighting against society for who she wants to be. Ana’s constant “inner monologue” through her writing reveals this internal struggle throughout the play, and eventually she realizes that she did not appreciate her family when she was young, but does appreciate the common experience and love that they all share. This idea of common sacrifice is especially evident when all of the women give back their checks to support Estela's choice to break away from Glitz.
6. One of the most repetitive theatrical moments is with Carmen’s constant mistaking of other men for “la migra” and Estela’s constant hiding. The overreaction of the other women, who now have papers but “forget” and are still afraid, is funny but also highlights Estela’s own real fear of having her business taken away or possibly even deported.
Carmen’s possible pregnancy is another moment I found to be theatrical and extremely emotional. This is the first time that she has ever lamented her marriage and her position as a mother in front of her own children, with Ana even going so far as to suggest an abortion if her mother truly doesn’t want to have this child. Though it ends up being a false pregnancy, I think that it really changes Carmen’s relationship with her own children. They aren’t really speaking to her like a parent, but they are speaking to her as another adult woman having to struggle with a (possibly) unwanted pregnancy.
Rosali’s fainting and the reveal of her eating disorder are extremely important theatrical turning points because they bring up the common feeling of inadequacy and beauty standards that all of the women deal with. All of the women, after getting so hot and stuffy that they take off their clothes, give a personal (and theatrical) moment by comparing bodies and pointing out all of their insecurities.
7. One repetitive image or idea that Lopez uses consistently is Spanish language itself and the specific use of bilingualism. Most of the Spanish language included in the book spoken by all of the characters except for Ana. This is a manifestation of Ana wanting to break away from just being another “immigrant” and being in what she sees as a limited life that her family is stuck in. She wants to be a writer, to move away, and to take part in American ideologies of feminism and sexual freedom, but she does not realize the value of her culture until the end of the play. This image heightens the generational gap between Ana and the older women around her, including her older sister as well. It also adds an element of realism to the play, and emphasizes the close relationships in the play.
The constant use of dresses in “mannequin size” and in expensive material is a reminder of the theme of body image in Real Woman Have Curves. Rosali is obsessive about the size of the dress, and there is constant reference to no dresses being made to accommodate any of the characters’ sizes. In the end, when Estela decides to break her contract with Glitz, she makes the dramatic decision to make clothes that all of the women can wear, and a few even find this ridiculous. By eventually changing the dresses, they include themselves in social ideas of beauty and recognize that no real person can ever live up to the ridiculous standards set. They recognize their own beauty by making dresses that work for them and are made by them, rather than creating for someone else.
Having the characters undress at the end of the play is also a very personal use of imagery. When the women strip down to their underwear, they are bare in front of each other to compare scars, weight struggles, and parts of themselves that they don’t like. Any preconceptions that they get from other social “titles” (being a mother, being someone’s child, being older and single), don’t really matter because they all have the common female experience on their bodies. It is also extremely personal for an audience to experience, and I think serves to make these characters human. The humanization element is especially important when thinking about Real Women as expressing the story of Chicano immigration in the United States, where the entire vernacular is built around de-humanization and alienation of these people.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
9. Family is the core of Real Women, with most of the core characters being relatives and almost all of the play being centered around actual kin or essentially fictive kin (the “family” formed in the workplace that includes Rosali and Pancha). The use of a work “family” and the inclusion of extended friends redefines family as a malleable group that depends on the individual. A nuclear family isn’t necessarily the norm, though many Americans probably think of it as an ideal. The family in Real Women is a bonded group of women, not necessarily blood relatives. Real Women also makes us of a multi-generational immigrant family, and the complexities within second- and third-generation immigrants in finding their identity between two essentially different cultures and norms. Multicultural families have a unique experience in America, often facing significant discrimination, but Real Women examines the dynamics of a family firmly rooted in their Chicano heritage and exploring their experience in the American “business” world.